In Pictures: Formula One's season-opener

Kimi Raikkonen triumphs in the first race of the F1 season in Melbourne, Australia.

17 Mar 2013 11:26 GMT

Getty Images

Kimi Raikkonen claimed victory in Formula One’s
season-opener in Melbourne, upstaging the favourites to take victory.

AFP/Getty Images

The Lotus driver came from seventh on the starting
grid to take the race from Ferrari\(***)s Fernando Alonso and Red Bull world
champion Sebastian Vettel.

AFP/Getty Images

The win marks the 20th GP triumph for the
Finn, who won the 2007 world championship with Ferrari before taking two years
out to compete in rallying.

REUTERS

Raikkonen stopped for two tyre changes compared
to three by his rivals: "We knew that if the front tyres were lasting we
would be fine. I was confident, but you have to get through the start and the
first lap and it\(***)s the first race so you never know what\(***)s going to happen."

REUTERS

Meanwhile, 2012 champion Sebastian Vettel, who
had the fastest car from qualifying and started off the pole, said tyre
degradation cost him his chance of victory.

AFP/Getty Images

Ferrari’s Alonso was pleased to get on the
podium after difficult starts in the previous two seasons: "This year it
feels very different and we feel much more optimistic and the car is responding well, we are competitive, so we have a very interesting season
ahead of us."

Getty Images

And it wasn’t a bad start for 2008 world
champion Lewis Hamilton, racing for the first time with Mercedes after leaving
McLaren. He finished in fifth and said the result was better than expected.

Getty Images

Kimi Raikkonen claimed victory in Formula One’s
season-opener in Melbourne, upstaging the favourites to take victory.

AFP/Getty Images

The Lotus driver came from seventh on the starting
grid to take the race from Ferrari\(***)s Fernando Alonso and Red Bull world
champion Sebastian Vettel.

AFP/Getty Images

The win marks the 20th GP triumph for the
Finn, who won the 2007 world championship with Ferrari before taking two years
out to compete in rallying.

REUTERS

Raikkonen stopped for two tyre changes compared
to three by his rivals: "We knew that if the front tyres were lasting we
would be fine. I was confident, but you have to get through the start and the
first lap and it\(***)s the first race so you never know what\(***)s going to happen."

REUTERS

Meanwhile, 2012 champion Sebastian Vettel, who
had the fastest car from qualifying and started off the pole, said tyre
degradation cost him his chance of victory.

AFP/Getty Images

Ferrari’s Alonso was pleased to get on the
podium after difficult starts in the previous two seasons: "This year it
feels very different and we feel much more optimistic and the car is responding well, we are competitive, so we have a very interesting season
ahead of us."

Getty Images

And it wasn’t a bad start for 2008 world
champion Lewis Hamilton, racing for the first time with Mercedes after leaving
McLaren. He finished in fifth and said the result was better than expected.